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Citrus General Discussion / Indoor Citrus Grow Tent Problems
« on: December 27, 2019, 05:42:16 PM »
Hello all, I purchased a Persian lime tree from a nursery here in Wisconsin earlier this summer in July. I have had a Meyer lemon tree in the past that nearly died every winter, so I decided to try to give my lime tree the best chance of surviving the winters by building a grow tent for it.
Equipment:
4' x 4' mylar grow tent
two 380W R-spec quantum board LED grow lights
Humidifier
AC Infinity in-line exhaust fan with temperature and humidity monitors
My goal was to create a microclimate that the lime tree would love by having warm temperatures, high humidity, and a potent light source. The lights work fantastic and are very intense, so much so that the highest branch is being bleached by the light (the branch needed to be pruned anyway). The humidifier doesn't work that great as it doesn't turn on half the time, so as of right now I've placed a 5 gallon bucket of water in the tent to give it some humidity. The exhaust fan works great as i set my target temperature and humidity and a sensor i place in the middle of the canopy monitors each and turns the fan on to reduce heat or humidity to the desired level.
Even with all of this, I am still having problems with leaves turning yellow and I can't figure out whats causing it. When I purchased the tree they fertilized it with a 3 month fertilizer, which lasted me until October when i refertilized it before bringing it in for the winter. I figured I would be safe refertilizing it since the plant should still be active based on the temperature and light I am supplementing it with. The plant has been in the same container I bought it in, which I would like to transfer it out of soon and repot it with some cactus soil mixture I've purchased.
Some other things worth mentioning:
- the water drains rapidly when watered, usually taking only about 10 seconds before it drains out the bottom holes.
-I water it every 2-3 days and check the soil by poking my finger down in it and making sure it's dry before watering.
-I fertilize with a fertilizer from Growscripts that is 18-5-10
-Lights are on for 12 hours per day using a timer
-Temperature in the canopy is 75 degrees
-Humidity is at roughly 32%
From what I can find online I'm thinking it might be a magnesium deficiency or the roots are maxing out the container?
I've attached pictures of my leaves and setup to help.
Equipment:
4' x 4' mylar grow tent
two 380W R-spec quantum board LED grow lights
Humidifier
AC Infinity in-line exhaust fan with temperature and humidity monitors
My goal was to create a microclimate that the lime tree would love by having warm temperatures, high humidity, and a potent light source. The lights work fantastic and are very intense, so much so that the highest branch is being bleached by the light (the branch needed to be pruned anyway). The humidifier doesn't work that great as it doesn't turn on half the time, so as of right now I've placed a 5 gallon bucket of water in the tent to give it some humidity. The exhaust fan works great as i set my target temperature and humidity and a sensor i place in the middle of the canopy monitors each and turns the fan on to reduce heat or humidity to the desired level.
Even with all of this, I am still having problems with leaves turning yellow and I can't figure out whats causing it. When I purchased the tree they fertilized it with a 3 month fertilizer, which lasted me until October when i refertilized it before bringing it in for the winter. I figured I would be safe refertilizing it since the plant should still be active based on the temperature and light I am supplementing it with. The plant has been in the same container I bought it in, which I would like to transfer it out of soon and repot it with some cactus soil mixture I've purchased.
Some other things worth mentioning:
- the water drains rapidly when watered, usually taking only about 10 seconds before it drains out the bottom holes.
-I water it every 2-3 days and check the soil by poking my finger down in it and making sure it's dry before watering.
-I fertilize with a fertilizer from Growscripts that is 18-5-10
-Lights are on for 12 hours per day using a timer
-Temperature in the canopy is 75 degrees
-Humidity is at roughly 32%
From what I can find online I'm thinking it might be a magnesium deficiency or the roots are maxing out the container?
I've attached pictures of my leaves and setup to help.